"Greetings, Seniors." Lu Xiaotian pressed his palms together and bowed to the two monks seated cross-legged a few feet above the ground.
"Senior Brother, the Esoteric Buddhist Sect has risen to its height and then declined. Now that we have finally seen a chance to rise again, are you truly going to sit by and watch this splendid opportunity be lost?" The middle-aged monk, whose appearance was identical to that of Ancient Buddha Ranyun, looked at the withered old monk opposite him. His expression was calm, and he paid no attention to Lu Xiaotian behind him.
"Birth and death alike lie within the law of affinity. Junior Brother, you have already fallen into demonic obstacles," the withered old monk, whose hair and beard were white and whose body resembled decaying wood, said.
"If all things are governed by the law of affinity, and birth is thus, then death is likewise so. Why, Senior Brother, must you cling so tightly to this final artistic conception?" the monk resembling Ancient Buddha Ranyun challenged.
"What do you intend to do, Junior Brother?" the old monk asked again.
"The Immortal Realm is now ruled by the four great heavenly courts. The lands beyond those courts know no peace, and are hardly a pure land for the Buddhist sect. I wish to open another domain, spread the Buddhist teachings, and make it a place without demons or fiends, where all become Buddhist disciples—a World Without Clans. Without earth or heaven, with only the Buddha eternal: a Heavenless Realm!" the monk resembling Ancient Buddha Ranyun declared. "What do you think, Senior Brother?"
"A Heavenless Buddhist Realm?" Lu Xiaotian was shaken to the core. He was now certain that this middle-aged monk was none other than Ancient Buddha Ranyun. He had fought Yan Ji and the Heavenly